


pluviophile

by JadeJem



Series: talk pretty to me [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Knows, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Drabble, F/M, Gentle, Reminiscing, chance encounter, changing of seasons, feelings unsaid, heavy earthy vibes, imagery study, knowing glances, musings, rainy day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21564721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeJem/pseuds/JadeJem
Summary: pluviophile (n.): a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: talk pretty to me [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553512
Comments: 16
Kudos: 187





	pluviophile

Paris was especially cold on the cusp of autumn and winter. It was icy enough to see your breath, but snow, when it did fall in small bouts, never held its form. Marinette had routinely begun to carry her umbrella around with her to avoid the rain that came in freezing sheets when she least expected it. 

She was walking through the Bois de Boulogne, a beautiful botanic garden in Versailles, disturbing light gatherings of fog and mist with her tread, when it began to rain. It was less of a rain at first—more of a mist—that thickened the lingering fog and made it harder to see where she was going. The sky overhead was painted in greys and whites, blurring the lines between clouds. 

It'd been an hour since she'd stepped off the Metro and had begun wandering around the Bois de Boulogne for inspiration; she hadn't expected it to be riddled with fog and nearly empty, but she found herself calmed by the greenery and lack of people. It was unusual for there to be a shortage of tourists _anywhere_ in Paris, and it made the area feel strangely foreign. 

She tucked herself further into the thick winter coat she wore; it was a brilliant scarlet, courtesy of Chat Noir, who, upon finding out that he had missed her birthday, had insisted on getting her something. Marinette shook her head fondly. His insistence that it hadn't been all that expensive had been weak at best—she recognized designer when she saw it. 

Still, she had decided to humor him and accept the coat. For safety, she avoided wearing it to school, but when she'd seen it hanging in her closet this morning, she had promptly shrugged it on. 

The black umbrella Adrien had given her three years ago bobbed against her shoulder as she walked. The gentle mist was steadily becoming more solid, and Marinette was beginning to feel the firm pattering of raindrops against her umbrella. The fog, to her dismay, was not lightening, and she was no longer sure of where she was going. 

The mist swirled in front of her, and Marinette had mere moments to register a body coming straight toward her, also wielding an umbrella, before they were bumping into one another. Marinette lost her balance, teetering on her toes for a fleeting second, before she was tipping to the side. 

She wondered how they could have possibly missed her when she was wearing such a brilliant coat. 

A hand gripped her arm, halting her in her descent down to the muddy grass and cement walkway. Her umbrella slipped from her fingertips and found a gathering pool of rainwater. She followed the black-coated arm up to a face and blinked. 

"Adrien," she said, a thrill running through her like a rampant bolt of lightning. "Hi."

"Marinette," he responded, eyes wide in surprise. "Hi." His green eyes stayed afixed to her as he slowly lifted her back to her feet. Once standing on her own, Adrien slowly released her arm. Marinette blinked rainwater out of her eyes and cast around for her umbrella. Her hair, which she hadn't bothered to pull into twin-tails, now hung in thick, mildly damp clumps around her face. She could feel her bangs curling, so she swept them aside in an effort to straighten them out. 

Just as she stooped to pick up her umbrella, Adrien, who was never this quiet around her, said, "Nice coat."

Marinette straightened, umbrella coming up over her head to shield her from the light rain. She could feel her cheeks warming at the compliment—small as it might be. "Th-thank you," she murmured in response, running her hands over the soft material. "It was a gift." 

When she made eye contact with Adrien again, he was wearing an odd expression. His normally radiant, green eyes were clouded—foregoing a golden hue in favor of an emerald that reflected the muted vibrance of the pine trees around them. His lips were slightly parted as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure what; they pooched before relaxing back into a thin line. 

"You look pretty."

That wasn't what she'd been expecting. 

Her face burned, combating the stinging cold that had taken residence along her cheekbones. "Thanks," she managed with a nervous titter. "I don't wear it a lot, but—well, anyway. It's a beautiful coat." 

Adrien's eyes took on a new tone, now: gleaming in slight, knowing amusement. "You should wear it more often."

Marinette thought back to Chat's small smile when she'd begrudgingly tried it on; she _couldn't_ wear it more often—not without possibly revealing herself to him. He saw Marinette as a civilian too much as it was, and their high school was infamously akuma-prone; the chances of him stumbling across her in the coat he'd gifted her were far too high. 

"Ah," Marinette floundered, forcing herself to look away from his heavy gaze, "I'm not really sure if red's my color." It was a lame reason at best, but she figured Adrien would drop the subject regardless. Maybe she could walk with him to his destination, wherever that may be. It wasn't often that Adrien was out and about by himself. 

Adrien brushed his slightly mussed hair out of his face with a glove-covered hand and smiled. "I don't know," he sighed, meeting her gaze once more. "It seems like your color to me." With a small shrug, he offered her his arm. "Walk with me?"

Marinette was nearly numb with excitement as she accepted his arm. "Where are we going?" 

His shoulder brushed hers when he shrugged again. "Crazy." He tilted his head and winked at her. "I like walking in the rain; it helps me think." 

Feeling brave, Marinette ventured, "Think about what?"

Adrien eyed her, another knowing smile playing along his lips. "Anything. Everything. Care to think with me, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

Even though Marinette couldn't see where they were going, she had a feeling that it didn't matter. "Absolutely, Adrien Agreste."


End file.
